1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to fish bowls and aquariums, and, more particularly, to a specifically shaped fish bowl held on a decorative stand, which conceals a motor, magnetically coupled through the bottom of the bowl to actuate a filter system within the bowl.
2. Description of Related Art
As is well known, aquariums and fish bowls generally consist of a tank or vessel, that has transparent walls so that fish, or the like, held therein can be observed from the exterior. In order to keep the water in the aquarium from becoming toxic to the inhabitants, it is necessary to filter the water and maintain a constant amount of oxygen in the water.
It is also common to provide aquariums or fish bowls with suitable lighting, for the observation of the interior thereof. In order to achieve filtration of the water, ducts are brought into the water so that air may be bubbled into filter systems inside the aquarium or bowl.
The equipment to provide such filtration may also be hung on the side of the bowl or aquarium, or, in some cases, placed in a concealed compartment thereunder with ducts leading into the bottom through the gravel held therein.
Such equipment hung onto the bowls or aquariums and the devices used to aerate and filter the water from the bottom tend to spoil the appearance and attractiveness thereof, and tend to be expensive, requiring high upkeep and maintenance.
Examples of such prior art aquariums and bowls are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,232,271 to Dosamantes De Jose et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,225 to Ogui, U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,805 to Ward which shows a vivarium having both an aquarium and a teranium in a chamber, U.S. Pat. No. 3,734,771 to Michie et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,529 to Lotito et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,730 to Willinger. U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,225 to Ogui shows an enclosed fish bowl with a centrally located water pump and aspirator surrounded by an annular water space 12. Water is drawn from the annular space 12 through a screen 38 and exit port 37, travels around cylinder 16, through openings 53 and into pump 20. Water is filtered and aerated by a central system and then flows out through openings 27, in to opening 52, and through inlet 36 and screen 38 into annular space 25. This patent, however, fails to teach or show the specific shape of a fish bowl as disclosed in the present invention, nor does it show a lower holding area for a filter, having an impeller which is magnetically driven by an electrical motor.
Other U.S. patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,392,836 to Willinger, U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,646 to Willinger, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,813 to Stewart et al. show motors having a magnet on a rotor assembly which drives a further magnet having an impeller with a number of blades thereon. However, these patents fail to show the driving of a driven magnet through the closed bottom of a housing with the motor and drive magnet hidden by a base or stand supporting the fish bowl or aquarium.
Finally, different types of aquariums and aerating systems therefor are known, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. D300,067 to Smith et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,372 to Fonseca, U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,561 to Byrne et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,444 to Rommel, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,220 to Sceusa. These patents, however, do not show specific elements of the preferred embodiment of the fish bowl and separate magnetically-driven, filter system disclosed herein.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an improved, filtering system for unitary fish bowls and aquariums, which incorporates a stand that conceals an electric motor which is magnetically coupled through a solid bottom of the fish bowl, to a driven magnet having an attached impeller within a filter for circulating and cleansing the water within the bowl.